Here And Now

01. Picture Perfect

Haggard, tired and frustrated with a sticky egg yolk stain on my old grey shirt is not where I envisioned myself in.

But it is what it is, and it's not the worst. It's kinda actually really great.

"Shawn bought a lunchables yesterday. Again. I think his Mom is sick, Mommy. Can you pack a lunch for him too?" My four year old asks.

"Uh-huh, and last time we did that Shawn's Dad got really angry remember, Kayla?" I remind her.

"Stwupid KAYLAAAA!!" My 2 year old, Dexter, bangs his little fists on his table. Giggling. Oh, to be young and fearless and having absolutely no care for your Mom's eardrum must be a blessing.

"Hey, say sorry to your sister." I turn around at that.

And Oh my what a sight it is.

"See, babe. I told you cream is your color. You look absolutely dashing." Putting the pancakes down onto Kayla's plate, I walk towards Weston slowly appraising him from head to toe.

Once I reach him I get on my tiptoes and kiss him, whispering each word between kisses.

"You. Are. Going. To. Rock. It." He smiles, his smile lines crinkling, around his eyes, suit clad hands looping around my waist.

"How can I not? We prepared together so hard, did we not?" He gives me a playful look.

"Did we? I don't really remember, maybe it wasn't all that good..." I tease back. At this he gives my waist a pinch and my lips a long wet kiss.

"Ew, ew, ewwwww." Kayla croons from her seat. So of course how could her little brother not take heed.

"MOMMY MINE! NO KISS TO DADDY!! MOMMY MINE!" He bangs his little fists on the table, his dark hair flying about his head.

Chucking, Weston and I separate.

"Remember, I had her first though bud. Now who wants some pancakes made by Daddy?"

"Meeeeee!!!" Kayla screams, making heart eyes. She is an absolute daddy's girl.

Weston looks at me and winks then raises his eyes towards our bedroom, telling me to go get ready since he's now got the kids.

It still awes me that we know each other so well and through that even small gestures and movements are enough to understand one another, our own language.

♤

20 Minutes later, I am showered and have my makeup on. I quickly brush my straight auburn hair up into a half updo.

Opening my closet, I ponder over what to wear today. I kinda wish Weston would have also chose my Outfit for me, like I did for him, although it's not like I have a business meeting with a Fortune 500 company like he does, but still wouldn't it have felt nice?

I pull on a plum jumpsuit with butterfly sleeves and a V neckline. I pair it with cream pumps and diamond studs to match. I spray some perfume on my neck and wrists and off I go.

"West, I am ready! Bring the kids, we are getting late!" I load the kids' bag of their food, extra pair of clothes and diapers into the SUV while he locks up the house and brings the kids.

"MOMMY!!!" Dexter starts trotting over to me, skipping and falling down a few times in his rush to get to me.

"I sit wid you, pwease?" I avert my eyes from his puppy dog ones, and see West strapping in Kayla in her seat. I signal him with my eyes, he sighs and comes over to take Dex from me and put him in his seat.

My baby glares at his father and grumbles under his breathe. Oh, he's a total Mumma's boy for sure.

As soon as we all pile into our car and move out of the driveway, the kids are at it again, screaming, babbling and talking nonsense with each other.

I look over at my husband. Serious

"You don't need to worry or be nervous, hun. You said you already got recommended by someone at your old firm right?"

He looks at me, not quite in the eye, averts his gaze back to the road ahead and clears his throat.

"Yeah, and I know a few people at this new place, so I am sure I'll get it."

I smile at him reassuredly.

"Good, you know what I was thinking? We could go out this Saturday to celebrate your new job and this big promotion of mine-"

"MOTHERFUCKER!" He swerves the car as someone zooms past us almost blowing the passenger door off.

It takes West a few moments to calm, as I calm our kids down who got startled by all the screaming.

As we get onto the road again he starts speaking.

"Yeah sure, babe. I'll book a table at Maroon to celebrate my new job."

My smile doesn't quite reach my eyes.

"Yeah, your new job."

♤

As predicted Weston gets the job at Marley & Co..

So when he picks me up, and we go over to the day care to pick up Dexter and Kayla, he starts talking about it again.

"April, I know we discussed this once before bu-"

"Four times, not once. And I have tolerated it till now, but please don't bring it up again." My voice cold as I look out the window.

"I know babe, but today I secured a job which will send my career upto unimaginable possibilities! I can take care of our family now. You can sit back and relax."

"Twice this day now, that you have forgotten I don't like being called babe or baby or any other infantalizing terms."

His face reddens as he looks away. After a few seconds he reached over and squeezes my thigh, his eyes apologetic.

"I am sorry...love. I just, you know how overwhelmed I was these past couple weeks, right?"

I hum nonchalantly.

Truth is, I have pretended that everything is okay between us, but I can sense that something is wrong. And just a week back when I finally gathered enough courage to sit Weston down and talk to him about it, he decided at that moment that we weren't having enough sex and attacked me.

It has been a week full of sex, so to say.

Marriage is not always a bed of roses. Or maybe it is a bed of roses, roses full of thorns.

"If you don't want to, we'll talk about it later."

I sigh. "No Weston," he flinches at the use of his full name, "we won't be talking about this again. I love my job, my career and I already put it all on the back burner after giving birth to our babies. I am lucky enough to have gotten to work for Colbys' and even more so because I just got promoted to a consultant position, only a year after joining. I am not giving up again."

His lips thin in a grim line, but he says nothing.

He should stop doing that, he looks really ugly when he does that.

The rest of the ride home, even after picking up the kids is in strained silence.

♤